Charles Augustus Lindberg, Courtesy New York Public Library, Image ID: 1573356
On this day, May 20th, 1927, a little known U.S. Air Mail pilot did what was to that point only something that could be imagined.
Charles Augustus Lindbergh took off at 7:52 AM from Roosevelt Field. His destination, Paris's Le Bourget Airport. Lindbergh arrived at 10:22 PM on Saturday, May 21, and instantly entered the annals of history. He won the Orteig Prize.
Raymond Orteig was a New York hotel owner,(He owned the Hotel Lafayette, and the Brevoort Hotel) who on May 19, 1919 offered a reward of $25,000 to the first aviator to fly non-stop in either direction between New York City, and Paris. In 1924, no one had won the prize, or in fact even competed for the prize. Orteig extended the deadline for another 5 years, and aviators began to compete owing to the advancement of aviation technology. Among those were Floyd Bennett, who was injured in a crash with Richard E. Byrd, whom he had previous accompanied on an alleged flight over the North Pole (it was later determined they had not actually accomplished this feat).
Lindbergh became the first American to cross the Atlantic Ocean in a fixed wing aircraft non-stop, and in addition, he was the first person to do so solo. The other competitors for this prize had tended to have small teams, and Lindbergh's decision meant that he had to be at the controls for his entire 30+ hour flight.
Lindbergh was given a ticker-tape parade by the City of New York on June 13, 1927 for his accomplishment, along with a grand banquet at the Hotel Commodore with approximately 3700 attendees.
Charles Augustus Lindbergh took off at 7:52 AM from Roosevelt Field. His destination, Paris's Le Bourget Airport. Lindbergh arrived at 10:22 PM on Saturday, May 21, and instantly entered the annals of history. He won the Orteig Prize.
Raymond Orteig was a New York hotel owner,(He owned the Hotel Lafayette, and the Brevoort Hotel) who on May 19, 1919 offered a reward of $25,000 to the first aviator to fly non-stop in either direction between New York City, and Paris. In 1924, no one had won the prize, or in fact even competed for the prize. Orteig extended the deadline for another 5 years, and aviators began to compete owing to the advancement of aviation technology. Among those were Floyd Bennett, who was injured in a crash with Richard E. Byrd, whom he had previous accompanied on an alleged flight over the North Pole (it was later determined they had not actually accomplished this feat).
Lindbergh became the first American to cross the Atlantic Ocean in a fixed wing aircraft non-stop, and in addition, he was the first person to do so solo. The other competitors for this prize had tended to have small teams, and Lindbergh's decision meant that he had to be at the controls for his entire 30+ hour flight.
Lindbergh was given a ticker-tape parade by the City of New York on June 13, 1927 for his accomplishment, along with a grand banquet at the Hotel Commodore with approximately 3700 attendees.
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